Poilievre's deputy says Conservative plans to cut spending will be outlined during next campaign
Conservative deputy leader Melissa Lantsman says Canadians will learn how her party plans to "rein in" government spending, and what cuts that may entail, during the next federal election campaign.
The Liberals have suggested that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s plans to balance the budget would include scrapping key social programs. In an interview on CTV's Question Period with host Vassy Kapelos, Lantsman was asked to clarify when and how the Official Opposition plans to tamp down the currently projected $40 billion federal deficit.
"We're going to present a plan during the election to give Canadians the very clear choice," Lantsman said.
"Either you have a government that spends more than we have on things that we don't need or want… or you're going to have a Conservative government who is going to rein in the spending, so we can lower interest rates, lower inflation, and make sure that people can take more home of what they earn," she said.
Since becoming leader, Poilievre has offered some examples of ways he'd scale back—such as implementing a 'pay-as-you-go' law requiring every $1 of new spending be offset by $1 of savings, and scrapping the ArriveCan app. But in terms of what else may be on the chopping block, Lantsman wouldn't say.
Asked specifically to address the Liberal claims that a Conservative government would cut dental care, the Canada Child Benefit, and $10-a-day childcare, Lantsman promised "a very clear plan" is in the works, but for now, Poilievre’s party is focused on holding the government to account for its spending.
Her comments come after a pair of Liberal MPs took to the House of Commons foyer on Tuesday to decry what they saw as a lack of information around what Poilievre's plans are, more than a year into his leadership, but potentially still years away from the next campaign.
"We have yet to see anything substantive," said Liberal MP and Deputy Government House Leader Mark Gerretsen.
Chief Government Whip Steve MacKinnon said Canadians’ attention should be drawn to "not only what he's saying, but what he is not saying. And what he is not saying, is anything about a specific plan to move Canada forward."
۴ý requested a year-end interview with Poilievre, he was not available.
LANTSMAN DEFENDS POSITION ON UKRAINE
In the interview, Lantsman was also asked about her party's opposition to a bill to implement the updated Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement over carbon pricing wording concerns, and what the Conservatives' current position is on supporting Ukraine.
Poilievre's deputy said the reason the Conservatives rejected the bill repeatedly, is because they are taking "a principled position" against the carbon tax, but they remain supportive of trade with Ukraine and further supports to assist in their war efforts.
"If we're not going to support the carbon tax for Canadians, we're not going to support the carbon tax for Ukrainians," Lantsman said. "We're a party that has a long standing history of support for Ukraine. But, we are not going to get behind the promotion of a carbon tax in any free trade agreement."
While the text of the modernized trade deal does include a broad commitment that both countries would both, bilaterally and internationally "promote carbon pricing and measures to mitigate carbon leakage risks," the legislation to implement it does not include any wording that would to force either country to have a pollution pricing plan.
Moreover, Ukraine has had its own price on carbon for more than a decade, and officials have indicated the country is looking forward to working on further climate policies, in line with European Union membership requirements.
Asked whether funding for Ukraine would be maintained should the Conservatives form government while the war or rebuilding efforts are underway, Lantsman said she thinks there is "a lot more" Canada could do.
She dismissed Liberal-led criticisms that her caucus' recent voting record suggests Poilievre is echoing U.S. Republicans' resistance to Ukraine.
"We have supported Ukraine from the beginning, we will support Ukraine until the end," said Lantsman.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING BMO online service outages reported by customers
Dozens of Bank of Montreal customers said they faced website outages early Wednesday morning, according to reports.
W5 Investigates How a clothes donation bin company passed itself off as a charity, while donated items were put up for sale
In part two of a four-part investigation into the seedy underbelly of the lucrative clothing donation bin industry, CTV W5 uses trackers tp reveal a for-profit operation masquerading as a charity.
Does the updated Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine protect against the XEC variant?
The XEC strain, a hybrid of Omicron subvariants KS.1.1 and KP.3.3, was first detected in Canada in mid-August and the number of COVID-19 cases with the XEC variant has rapidly increased.
'Unbelievably violent': Gisele Pelicot, French victim of mass rape, takes the stand
Gisele Pelicot, the 72-year-old victim of mass rape whose ordeal has shocked the world, told a trial in southern France on Wednesday that she was determined that making her case public should help other women and change society.
Police have confirmed the body of an employee who died at a Walmart in Halifax over the weekend was found in a walk-in oven.
A father and his two children who suffered severe burns in a Springfield, Ont. house fire have undergone surgery.
Bank of Canada to release interest rate decision, economic forecast today
The Bank of Canada is set to make its latest interest rate decision this morning.
American Airlines fined US$50M over mishandling of disabled passengers and wheelchairs
The U.S. government fined American Airlines $50 million for failing to provide wheelchair assistance to passengers with disabilities and damaging thousands of wheelchairs over a five-year period.
Local Spotlight
Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.
A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.
A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.
A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.
Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.
Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.
The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that – and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.
A Moncton, N.B., home has been donated to the Friends of The Moncton Hospital Foundation and will be transformed into a resource hub for people living with cancer.
A Nova Scotia man crossing Canada on foot is passing through southwestern Ontario. Trevor Redmond is perhaps better known as the ‘Fellow in Yellow.’